This course will consist of a discussion of the major characteristics of
contemporary Israeli society and culture, based on recent social
scientific publications. Students will read and analyze the founding
myths of the Israeli society and how they function in the current
political and cultural context. Issues such as ethnic pluralism, the
status of Judaism in the political and cultural structures, the city vs.
the rural, the role of religion in national identity, the modern family,
will be covered.
Requirements
- 1 mid-term examination (25%)
- 1 reading review to be presented in class (5p.) (30%)
- 1 research paper (10-15p.) (35%)
- class attendance and participation (10%)
Readings
Ben-Ari E., Bilu Y., (eds.) Grasping Land, SUNY Press, 1997
Katriel, T., Communal Webs: Communication and Culture in Contemporary
Israel, SUNY Press, 1991
Sobel Z., and B. Beit-Hallahmi, (eds.) Tradition, Innovation, Conflict:
Jewishness and Judaism in Contemporary Israel, SUNY Press 1991.
Spiro M.E., Gender and Culture: Kibbutz Women Revisited, Schocken
Books, 1979
Zerubavel Y., Recovered Roots: Collective Memory and the Making of
Israeli National Tradition, Univ of Chicago Press, 1995